Trekking over the hill with the group in as secure of a perimeter as they could muster took longer than either Maria or Josh expected, both used to time with system-enhanced and those with greater capabilities. By the time they approached the small town’s edges, dusk had settled and night would soon be upon them.

Josh led, Maria took the back, and he’d posted three of their new recruits to either side. But still, he felt uneasy as he pressed onward, restless and wary. At any moment, the lizardmen could find out their plan and rally the den against them.

The worry creeping through his veins and tightening his chest was not one for himself. He could handle himself, as could Maria. He hadn’t tested Tabitha or the others, didn’t know what they were capable of, and there were so many to protect as they moved.

He could only hope for the best and prepare for the worst, battle strategies and contingency plans coming and going by the dozen.

The ground under his feet became hard as he passed over the threshold from soft dirt to paved road. They’d entered the den, even if only its edges. Not to mention the newcomers amongst them.

There was a short distance of road they needed to cross to get to the first building within the town. No cover provided aid to their cause until they crossed. Josh struggled to see much, though what he could make out lacked any lizardmen skulking around in wait.

They’d established the plan for crossing here prior to departing. He took the lead, going ahead alone, and confirmed there were no lizardmen in wait. At the corner of the building, he gestured for the others to cross, keeping a lookout.

Vivian and Fred came closest to him on either side of the group, with AJ and Melissa taking the center, and Tabitha and Bruce covering the sides of the rear. The group didn’t move quietly, their footsteps, heavy breathing, and near-panicked cries sounding like a dead giveaway to Josh.

He counted and waited once the group crossed, followed by the rear guard. By the time they crossed, he’d moved to the far end of the building, peering through doors and windows to ensure there were no surprises as he passed by.

“Mama, I’m scared!” Josh winced. Ray’s voice carried clearly through the tentative quiet.

Josh turned back and raised a finger to his lips, begging silence. Mama nodded, hoisting up the young child in her arms, though he couldn’t help but notice how her breath hitched from the efforts.

“You need to be quiet,” she whispered, shushing the terrified boy. “We need to be sneaky, alright? Everything’s going to be fine.” Her own concern trembled in her voice, making the statement less convincing, but Ray nodded and hid his face against her shoulder. “We’re almost there.”

Her kind eyes met his, despite the visible pain. He mouthed his thanks and focused on pressing forward. She’d been right, they were almost there. But at the same time, the hard part had only just started.

And for all he hoped they’d make it to the convenience store without an issue, something in his gut told him a fuse was burning and his quiet time was limited. All he could do was hope for the best and press on across an alleyway, checking inside the next building as he passed, finding it empty too, and then moving to the beginning of the next road clearing.

When he looked around the corner, he quickly popped his head back behind cover. A patrol of three lizardmen headed their way, about halfway down the road from where he hid. Each carried spears and looked ready to use them.

He gestured hastily for everyone to get out of sight, before the lizardmen reached the intersection. The subsequent amount of whispers and careless movement was enough to make him wince, but at least they managed to either slip inside or crouch behind the building. He took up a position against the wall, beside the door, with a tiny sliver of view on the road. Hopefully, the patrol wouldn’t turn up this way. It would be nice to get through this without causing a huge ruckus.

*

D’kak hissed a quiet tune to himself as he and his partners wandered up the path leading out of the nest-town. He considered the extended patrol route excessive, but who was he to complain about an excuse to walk around outside? True, the sun was going down, chill growing in the air, but after weeks of nursery duty he was well and truly tired of staying inden.

“What’s there?” Bri’shk nodded toward the remaining block-buildings, tongue flicking curiously. “Snack?”

D’kak silenced himself immediately, falling fully still to taste the wind for himself.

“Yesss…” Resk’ek’s tail flicked in agreement, then fell still with concern. “Very large snack?”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

D’kak crouched, verifying the assessment. “Too large?”

“Is there a too large snack?” Bri’shk leaned around the corner of the nearest block-building, hissed, and withdrew. “I’m not overfull after the week we’ve had.”

D’kak flicked agreement, but Resk’ek remained stiff. “Too large. Even the bite of lemmings is dangerous if enough gather.”

“To a clutchling, perhaps.” Bri’shk hissed derisively. “I do not fear a thousand lemmings, though they bury me with their corpses.”

“If you’re so hungry, you go.” Resk’ek began to back away. “We were sent to search because of threat-whispers, not to hunt. Too much prey can become a predator. I will report the finding.”

D’kak huffed at his partners, putting a halt to the argument. “We report or we hunt together. Never divide.”

“Never divide,” Resk’ek echoed reluctantly.

“Will either of you choose to follow the other?”

“I hunger,” Bri’shk insisted, gripping the spear tighter. “We need not fear this.”

“I will follow you,” Resk’ek told D’kak, “but know we must return. If we die for your hunger, my spirit will devour your children.”

“As if your spirit were so strong,” Bri’shk retorted. “Our children are in no danger whatever we do here.”

D’kak looked between them, tasting the wind again as he considered the options. “I do hunger,” he said at last. “But there is truth in the wisdom of shared knowledge.”

Bri’shk snarled and stomped the spear against the ground, then raised his voice in a hiss. Unlike the quiet sibilance of their normal conversation which could be mistaken for a rustle of leaves, this was loud enough to echo off the block-buildings and assault D’kak’s hearing with its sharpness.

“We return.” D’kak waited no longer and turned to march back toward the den-heart. He felt the footsteps of Resk’ek and Bri’shk as they fell in beside him.

Half his spirit expected to hear a horde of lemmings rushing after them, but aside from Bri’shk’s brief defiance, nothing else broke the stillness.

*

When no lizardmen rounded the corner and screamed bloody murder to alert the den, Josh stepped out from the doorway, crept alongside the building’s wall, and peered down the road he’d seen them coming up. They were nowhere in sight. That didn’t ease his concern.

He turned and gestured for the others to form up again and crossed the road to the next building, pulling out the map. Little light remained in the sky and made finding their destination in reference to where they were positioned difficult and arduous. By the time he oriented them and finalized the route and committed it to memory, the group already began crossing behind him and lined up alongside the wall.

Another five roads needed to be crossed before they’d reach their destination, but the store had a large parking lot facing them.

Three intersections later, and they’d encountered no further sign of lizardman presence. It made Josh all the more wary, but they were losing light by the moment and couldn’t afford to delay. They needed to move faster.

He beckoned the group forward.

“Ah—ow!” The sound of flesh smacking pavement and its accompanying cry echoed, the silent twilight unkind in its last moments.

Josh didn’t dare look back to see who’d fallen, muscles tensed and bunched to strike. Without light to guide their path, he wouldn’t be surprised to have several more similar incidences.

They were so close, but he’d known this would be tight, had known getting to the store without drawing the ire of the den would be as futile an effort as they came.

“We should split up,” one of the guys whose name he hadn’t gotten said, looking back and forth between Josh and the buildings around them and the destination beyond. “There’s no way we’ll get everyone across at once. Smaller groups might have a better chance. And we can hide in buildings if we can’t make it.”

“Smaller groups might be discovered and killed,” Josh growled back. But the guy was right about one thing. What they were doing wasn’t working. He racked his brain for a plan that would work to get everyone to the store safely.

“Then take the best fighters first, make sure the path is clear. If there’s a fight, the rest of us can hide. If you make it fine, we’ll be able to follow.”

Eyeing the nameless man, Josh approached him, eyes hardened. “If there’s a fight, there won’t be a place to hide.” When he looked beyond the man, he could see the clear fear in everyone’s eyes, even those tasked to defend the group. He called loud enough so that Maria could hear. “Change of plan. You take everyone to the store. Subtlety be damned. When you get there, restrain anybody who decides they want to act out.”

“What are you gonna do?” asked Fred, the nearest of his recruit.

“I’m gonna go say hi to our lizard friends and keep them company for the night.” He’d been playing things too carefully due to those hiding amongst the group of refugees, but slinking around like Isaac would wasn’t his style.

Tabitha eyed him from the back, uncertainty and doubt evident. Maria already made her way forward to take Josh’s place, leaving the rear vulnerable.

“You sure about this?” she asked.

“More sure than this plan. We’ve taken too long. There’s no light, which allows the lizardmen to hide. Not sure if you know this, but they don’t purely rely on their eyes to find prey. They use their tongues to taste the air,” he explained, pointing back the way they’d come. “And they’re not stupid.”

Maria nodded. “Okay, I trust you. If you think this is best, then I’ll make sure everyone is okay.”

“Get whoever fell bandaged up after you secure the entrances,” he instructed, tapping Bartholomew against the ground as he turned to address the rest of the group. “Now, does everyone understand the plan?”

“N-not really…” Vivian muttered, holding up a wand that looked more like a twig than a medium for magical mayhem.

Josh pointed to the store, not too far down the road and across the parking lot. “Well, it’s time for a little bit of cardio.”